Butch Harmon School of Golf partners with Gems

Dubai Sports City and The Butch Harmon School of Golf have signed an exclusive partnership with GEMS Sports Academy Dubai which will see high school students benefiting from training and coaching at the Dubai Sports City facility.

As well as training, The Butch Harmon School of Golf will also prepare young golfers for the next steps of their professional and academic careers by providing them with support through a new scholarship programme.

The partnership will see highly-trained staff at the golf school steer each young player towards a potential scholarship in America by developing their skills and linking them to the right college through a network of universities whilst attending GEMS Sports Academy.

Speaking after the announcement Justin Parsons, director of instruction at The Butch Harmon School of Golf said: “Since opening in 2009, we have been passionate about delivering developmental golf programs for young players. With the link to GEMS Sports Academy, we can now work with some of the most talented players in the region and help them to attain scholarships to the US.”

The Butch Harmon School of Golf has already produced some incredible talent such as local raising golf star Rayhan Thomas, who currently trains at The Els Club.

17-year old who is coached by Justin Parsons has already competed in major competitions such as the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and most recently Omega Dubai Desert Classic where he made it to the final day of play.

In recent years, the School of Golf has seen its students attain scholarships at the University of Southern California and the University of Tulsa and has also seen Junior players performing in all three tournaments of the Desert Swing.

Speaking about the partnership James Tucker, principal director GEMS Sports Academy said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Dubai Sports City.

“The partnership will not only grant students access to world-class golfing facilities but they will also have access to world-class coaching at the Butch Harmon School of Golf.

“This combined with the education we can provide allows us to grow the talent in the next generation of athletes, which can also lead to a scholarship at a world-wide University.”

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MEGAs honour the best in golf industry

It was a full house as 283 guests applauded the winners in 16 different categories plus two recognition awards – Arab Initiative of the Year and Serviceman of the Year.

Also honoured during were winners of the UAE PGA and Rayhan Thomas, the celebrated Dubai amateur who created history by becoming the youngest to win on the MENA Golf Tour.

The MENA Tour, an initiative of ‘Golf in DUBAi’ which now carries world ranking points, was recognised as the Arab Initiative of the Year. The Serviceman of the Year is a fine example of what the MEGAs has always wanted to achieve – honour and recognise those who put in the hard yards behind the scenes.

This year’s award went to Eravathra Parappurath Ummer, Golf Operations Supervisor at Emirates Golf Club, where he completed 26 years of service on December 19. In the submission, the club branded Ummer “irreplaceable”, “a living legend” and someone who has never ever shirked his responsibilities.
Welcoming the guests, Didier Brun, Publisher and Deputy CEO of Sport360, said: “Our objective each year is not only to keep the awards credible but also to continue being innovative to keep pace with the evolution of the industry.”

The Golf Digital Platform of the Year award was won by Golf GameBook, the digital scorecard introduced by Onside Sports that is introducing a new dimension to tournaments.
Five of the 18 categories were voted by the public, with a little more than 10,000 votes being polled, while 14 judges, comprising some of the most respected names in the industry, deliberated for over 18 hours to find the other winners. As many as 156 submissions were received, an increase of eight per cent over last year.
Among other big winners on the night were Dubai Golf, who manage the two courses that won the Best Golf Course Over and Under Dh500 – Majlis course of Emirates Golf Club and the Greg Norman-designed Almouj Golf in Muscat, Oman; while Troon Golf managed Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and The Els Club walked away with the honour of Best Overall Club Experience, Golf Course Maintenance Team of the Year and the Best F&B Team of the Year awards respectively.
As for the events, Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship once again scored over the other high-quality tournaments in the region by winning the Best Live Experience at a Professional Event, while Qatar Open Amateur Golf Championship at Doha Golf Club was named the Amateur Tournament of the Year and Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge the Corporate Tournament of the Year.
Chris May, CEO of Dubai Golf, said: “I think I speak for the industry when I say that the MEGAs is one of the most anticipated event for us every year. The golf industry in the Middle East is doing some wonderful things and we’d like MEGAs and Sport360° for highlighting what we do.”
The 2016 edition of the MEGAs was sponsored by Singha Corporation, Dubai Sports City, Hydroturf and One & Only Royal Mirage.

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